


Attention

by WildECoyote (Jacobella41)



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2019-03-21 08:10:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13736745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacobella41/pseuds/WildECoyote
Summary: It's not because they keep each other's secrets that S.H.I.E.L.D agents get together so frequently; it's because the kind of work they do leaves all their psychological issues right there on display and if they're so inclined, they can take care of one another better than anyone else.





	Attention

It's not because they keep each other's secrets that S.H.I.E.L.D agents get together so frequently.

It's because the kind of work they do leaves all their psychological issues right out there on display for everyone in the organization to see. Espionage is a funny thing that way, understanding yourself and understanding others are as much a part of training as hand-to-hand combat and weapons certification, so everyone in the organization is uniquely trained to see the cracks in the facade and to recognize when someone is breaking apart or what's causing the fault lines. Some are better than others, with Natasha being the bar for the best, but if anyone at S.H.I.E.L.D was so inclined, they have the ability to take care of each other in ways no other partner can. 

It's not during a battle when agents feel all these things, adrenaline propels them through that and everything is broken down into what needs to be done now and what can be done later. But in the locker room, in the after-actions, in break rooms, in the hallways when there is a moment to breath, it all comes out. Some fellow agents have the decency to look away but it only takes one, one agent to maintain eye contact with you, to see all the things breaking apart in your head and churning in your gut, to connect the pattern of what they know about you to what triggered you in this moment, and then you're falling into them, letting them take care of you the way they know how. And it doesn't matter if it's their training and you're being "handled" a bit, the fact that they exerted the effort means something too. 

Phil Coulson handles a lot. And he's good at it. 

He is particularly good at drawing the lines and letting people know that they are being handled within the parameters of his job. What he offers agents is what they need in the moment and no more, he doesn't take them home, he doesn't sleep with them, he prefers things tidy and isn't particularly inclined to take care of people when he's off duty. He also knows how good he is at putting people back together and he feels a little manipulative if he were to start a relationship in one of those vulnerable moments where he could see what makes a person tick and exactly where they were bruised and had been bruised before. It's too complicated. He has very, very uncomplicated relationships outside work. He prefers them, as do a few of the other senior staff members. 

Which doesn't explain why Clint Barton is sitting at Phil's kitchen table, both hands gripping the sides as Phil orders him to put his head on the surface.


End file.
